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Friday, May 1, 2015

Mei Shan Make Peace Drama (和梅山傩)

Mei Shan
ceremonial drama is a type of religious activities meant for entertaining human
and spirits alike. While a ‘make peace’ drama refers to an enactment of drama
through rituals to make peace between spirits and human. There are three stages
in having a make peace drama:

1.To
congregate spirits into an altar

2.Performance
drama to entertain spirits and human

3.To
make peace with spirits

Local folks
think Mei Shan spirits are easily annoyed and once they are disturbed, these
unforgiving spirits would create problems to human kind. So, a pacification
ceremony is necessary.

In this
ritual a magician (师公) would sing:

“弟郎手把和神诀，梅山殿内去和神。巧言细语来和会，莫把恶言去伤人。”

(Brother is making a
make peace mudra in Mei Shan hall to make peace. Let us talk softly to make
peace and let us not talk bad and hurt others.)

In this
step, 5 sets of offerings are made to the 5 uncontrollable ones (五猖). The magician would disguise as
the Mei Shan King and his assistants as the 5 uncontrollable ones. They would
engage in a conversation similar to the below:

The master
sings:

东路梅山你在东方座，青旗青号座东方；

南路梅山你在南方座，赤旗赤号座南方；

西路梅山你在西方座，白旗白号座西方；

北路梅山你在北方座，黑旗黑号座北方；

中路梅山你在中央座，黄旗黄号座中央。

孟公五猖、阴师寨长齐请座，五路坛神座五方，

左脚盘沙来塞海，右脚盘沙塞海门，

上塞黄河七个孔，下塞冥江两洞江，

唱在此句收了韵，锣鼓丢在九霄云。

(Mei Shan on east
route, your flag is green sitting at east;

Mei Shan on south
route, your flag is red sitting at south;

Mei Shan on west
route, your flag is white sitting at west;

Mei Shan on north
route, your flag is black sitting at north;

Mei Shan on central
route, your flag is yellow sitting at the center.

All spirits of 5 directions
please take your seats...)

The master
then says: “Are you 5 pigs here already?”

The 5: “Yes.
We are all here.”

The master
takes up a cup of wine and sings:

一杯酒，亮清清，今夜在此陪梅神，

陪得梅崽梅孙哈哈笑，保护香主得安宁。

(A cup of wine pure
and bright, tonight I accompany Mei spirits until the sprits laugh happily and
hence protecting the owner in peace.)

He then
takes up the rest of the 5 cups and do the same as above.

The master
then asks:

“From where
should I start making offerings?”

The 5: “From
the east…”

The master
(sings):

坛前饮了一杯酒，我将一字说分明，

一字省写一条龙，一心可以敬神灵，

一心敬过神灵后，保佑香主永安宁。

(I have drunk a cup of
wine in front of the altar, I shall speak clearly and I shall not be long
winded. One heartedly I respect the spirits, after that the spirits shall
protect the owner.)